http://avadhutrecommends.wordpress.com/Summary –Connor Swann, son-in-law of famous conductor Sir Gerald and renowned soprano Dame Caroline is found dead in Thames. The circumstances are ambiguous and it is not sure whether it was suicide, accident or murder. Duncan and Gemma are sent to investigate the case. Soon they realise that the perfect world of the Ashertons is not really as perfect as it looks on the surface.Review –Ashertons are a peculiar family. The husband and wife, Sir Gerald and Dame Caroline are renowned in their fields and their daughter Julia is an upcoming artist. But the relationships in the family are twisted though they remain unnoticed to outsiders. The death of their son, Matthew, twenty years ago in a similar manner as Connor’s has cast its invisible shadow on the family. Julia has left Connor and is now leaving with her parents for a year. But Connor refuses to divorce her, lives in Julia’s flat and visits her parents every week. Julia seems totally unmoved by his death but her parents seem more rattled and even genuinely caring for him.I just love this series and it is getting better with every new book. The third instalment is definitely better than previous books. For one, the mystery is good. There were so few suspects that I thought I will figure it out soon but the very fact that there seemed an utter lack of motive kept me guessing almost till the end. But the main reason I liked this book for is characters. Crombie has given each character in the story its inimitable soul. Though Connor Swann is dead and we don’t get to meet him, what we learn about him through others is surprising and shows him in a different light than his Casanova image. And then there is that unseen tension between Duncan and Gemma. Duncan is irresistibly drawn towards Julia, Connor’s widow and Gemma empathises with Tommy, Asherton’s family friend creating friction and embarrassment between them that neither can explain fully.Well, I think the series is quite near to Agatha Christie in its bearing and I could see the influence clearly. Crombie has even partially acknowledged it by making Gemma and Tommy meet at Brown’s Hotel that was model for Christie’s ‘At Bertram’s Hotel’ and making apt observations about the Golden Age of crime novels in Britain. Though giving the same laid back and cosy feel for most of the part, it differs from old fashioned comfy mysteries in its central characters which are more human and susceptible to emotions, even darker ones.There was kind of implicit sexual attraction between Duncan and Gemma previously and the events of the book draw them together. But the end of the story is bitter-sweet with both reacting differently to their relationship and I am interested in knowing what happened next. There are eleven more books to go as I write this but it is a prospect I am happily looking forward to.
Really good series. Love these books. Suspenseful, ending, never as you pictured it, never a dull moment.When Connor Swann, the dissolute son-in-law of renowned and influential Sir Gerald and Dame Caroline Asherton, is found floating in a Thames River lock, the circumstances eerily recall a strangely similar tragedy. Twenty years ago, the Ashertons' young son, Matthew, a musical prodigy, drowned in a swollen stream while in the company of his sister Julia -- Connor Swann's wife.Police Superintendant Duncan Kincaid and Sergeant Gemma James quickly discover that Connor's death was no accident, and that nothing in the Asherton family is as it seems. Connor, though estranged from Julia for more than a year, still lives in her London apartment, where his exploits with women and gambling suggest plenty of motives. The Ashertons are far more attached to Connor than to their own daughter, and these are only the first of the secrets that haunt the suspects. New lies cover older lies, as Kincaid finds himself dangerously drawn to Julia Swann, and Gemma must confront her own troubling feelings for Kincaid.
What do You think about Leave The Grave Green (2005)?
This is the third book of the Kincaid/James series of great mysteries. Crombie is a good writer who is coming into her own. This particular one was not as good as the others as far as I am concerned. A cad is found drowned in a Thames River Lock. Although a seemingly charming man, he has a cast of characters who would have loved to been the one to push in him. Or did he commit suicide? Duncan Kincaid is drawn to the non-grieving widow and Sgt. Jones is frustrated with that. Although, the romance betwee Kincaid and Jones warms up, the whole novel has a tepid feel to it. It's like dabbling your toes into the water. It's refreshing but could have been so much better.
—Susan Johnson
Book 3. in a series that an keeps getting better. Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James are back investigating the death of the son-in-law of two celebrities in the Opera World. It transpires it is most likely that the man was pushed and there are a few likely suspects. His estranged wife, Julia Swann was with her young brother, Matty, when he drowned when they were children, so it seems a little suspect that Julia's husband whom she clearly despised, is also drowned. As Duncan and Gemma were asked to step in and examine the death at the request of her parents, Dame Caroline and Sir Gerald Asherton through their friend, the police Commissioner, they have to thread carefully. Duncan is very, attracted to Julia and over-steps the boundaries slightly when they have some intimate moments. Gemma, guesses what is happening and is overcome with jealousy. So, we have some definite indications of Duncan's and Gemma's feelings for one another here, but will things go smoothly? Aside from the relationship issue with the two lead characters, the plot is good and after a number of twists and turns, we get a suspense filled ending and a realistic conclusion to the mystery. I would recommend this series to crime/mystery readers.
—Mary Gilligan-Nolan
This is an early Duncan Kincaid/ Gemma James crime novel, which precedes their more permanent romantic relationship. Crombie's familiarity with the English countryside and London is evident in her writing. Class status is also quite clear, from the manor houses, to the style of speech and the cuisine. It was delightful to read about tea in the Brown's Hotel, just off Picadilly, which was the model for Agatha Christie's, "At Bertram's Hotel" where the ambience seemed to retain the atmosphere of "the Golden Age of British Manners".Crombie tells about opera informatively and with sensitivity, including both the business of the productions and the performances. Throughout the book her characters are realistic and seem alive for the reader. This is an enjoyable, efficient police procedural with a well calculated climax.
—Barbara
